Passing Chapter Abstracts for Teachers

Part 1, Encounter: Chapters 1-2

• Irene Redfield receives a letter from Clare Kendry, a childhood friend.
• Irene recalls when Clare's father died and Clare disappeared from their Chicago neighborhood.
• Irene recalls a trip to Chicago a few years earlier when she ran into Clare, who passes for white and whom she did not recognize at first.
• Clare and Irene talk about old times, although Clare doesn't reveal much about her current life.
• Clare insists on getting together the next week. Irene is not enthusiastic about meeting, but she agrees to meet anyway.

Part 1, Encounter: Chapters 3-4

• Irene is not keen on seeing Clare again, but Clare calls her repeatedly and charms her into meeting.
• Clare brings along Gertrude, another childhood friend who, like Clare, is married to a white man. They are both afraid that their babies will be dark.
• John Bellew, Clare's husband, calls Clare "nig" because she's...